Indian-origin man jailed in Saudi Arabia for illegal entry

A UAE-based Indian man has been jailed in Saudi Arabia for entering the kingdom without proper documents, a media report here said Tuesday. Haris Poomadath, 28, a native of Kerala, went missing on December 8 from Abu Dhabi, Gulf News reported. He was found at a hospital in Al Ahsa in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, nearly a month after his disappearance, according to his family members.

Haris was arrested and jailed by the Saudi authorities for entering the country without documents, his cousin Rashid Poomadath was quoted as saying by the report. It is not clear how he managed to cross the UAE-Saudi border and reached Al Ahsa. He was rushed to the hospital after he fell ill. An Indian nurse called up his home in India, Rashid said. According to the report, Haris, who worked as a driver with a hotel in Abu Dhabi, was upset over the cancellation of his leave in December.

"The Saudi authorities allowed him to speak to his mother on phone. She was very happy to hear his voice after almost a month of uncertainty about her son's fate," his nephew Siraj said. His family said they reported the matter to the UAE authorities and the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, with whom they had filed complaints about the missing incident. "We have sought their assistance to get him released and send him back to India," Siraj said. An official at the Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi said the matter has been forwarded to the Indian Embassy in Riyadh for further action.

(With inputs from agencies.)